


I don’t know how to flirt so I’m just going to stare at you

by teaene



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Alternate Universe - High School, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Fukuroudani, High School, I Don't Even Know, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Oblivious Bokuto Koutarou, fluff is difficult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-08-26 00:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16671262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaene/pseuds/teaene
Summary: Will the captain and vice captain realise their feelings already?





	1. A Typical Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Icelette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icelette/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this after seeing a meme, but after a while, I decided that I didn't like the way it turned out.  
> So I rewrote it.  
> Thank you everyone who gave kudos when you first read it! I don't know if you'll reread it, but I hope you like this too.

It wasn’t a secret that Bokuto likes Akaashi. Everyone on the team knew, especially Akaashi.

Bokuto was around him all the time, since he joined the volleyball team in his first year. And it wasn’t just during practice or during school hours. Akaashi saw Bokuto the moment he stepped out of his house, because Bokuto had started to walk him to school ever since he found out they lived on the same street.

It was the same this morning.

“GOOD MORNING AGAASHI!” An overly eager and spirited boy bounded up towards Akaashi. The sky was still somewhat overcast; his weather forecast app still registered the current time as night. The street wasn’t usually lively but the greyish weather made the surroundings bleaker than usual. In contrast, there was this _loud_ boy with hair bleached white, roots showing, emitting an energy that was just out of place.  

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you coming from upstairs.” Akaashi grimaced inwardly at the booming voice, wondering if his neighbours secretly hated him for having a noisy friend. Or, believed that his friend was a no good hoodlum that only managed to attend his private school on a sports scholarship. Whichever it was, Akaashi was grateful to not have to deal with any of their outright misgivings. In fact, they were often kinder than Akaashi expected, dropping off small gifts for his parents or greeting him on his way back from school. “Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to be so loud?”

Bokuto paid his words no heed, knowing that Akaashi could not stay mad at him for long. Akaashi did feel some affection for him-this friendly, oversized, human-shaped puppy who had immediately bounded forward and gave him a hug every morning. He would never admit it but Akaashi always looked forward to his mornings with Bokuto. It was like the shot of energy that motivated him to move. But maybe without the loud wake up call.

Akaashi hid a yawn behind his hand, walking a little ways behind Bokuto. It did not go unnoticed, and Bokuto peered back at him, eyes full of worry. “Didn’t sleep well? Did you stay up late to review team tactics again?” Bokuto stretched out a hand to rub Akaashi’s nape. “You always overwork yourself.”  

“No, I was too caught up in studying. Midterms are coming up and I haven’t been revising as regularly as I should. Plus, practice has been running longer too.” Akaashi looked tiredly into the unblinking golden eyes. He was always called out for looking sleepy or being distracted, all because of his lidded eyes. Yet today, he looked more bleary-eyed than ever, worn out by consecutive all-nighters. Compared to the him, Akaashi hardly ever saw Bokuto tired. Bokuto was always wide-eyed and bubbling with energy-even after a slew of gruelling practices and hard matches, with tests in between. He wasn’t even sure if Bokuto knew what tired meant.

“Don’t the third years have it worse? I heard you have quizzes almost every other day. It’s your final year-”

“Don’t say final!” Bokuto cut in, a face of comic despair. “I don’t want this year to end!” Bokuto ran his hands in his hair, messing it up. He looked a little deranged at the mere mention of the fact that his glorious high school years as the captain of volleyball team was coming to an end. “Why Akaashi? Can’t I join your class instead?”

“It’s your final year so I thought you’ll be busier?” Ignoring the usual maniacal outburst, he repeated his words, but did not expect Bokuto give a serious reply. It was more of a general speculation he heard from other third years who had already left the team to concentrate on their studies.

“Don’t ignore me, Akaashi!” Bokuto whined into his ear, leaning heavily on Akaashi’s right shoulder. “Ah-gah-shii!” He buried his face into Akaashi’s neck, unwilling to let go of his initial remark. Shaking Akaashi’s arm while his face was still covered, they now walked in a strange gait: Akaashi lopsided with a human growth that was attached to his right arm, his face impassive to passersby who looked curiously at the pair.

His shoulder was getting a little sore with the weight of the clinging boy and wiggled his arm trying to get free of the grip. “Okay, okay, you can join my class if you think you’re up for the mathematics.” Akaashi conceded, as if his decision would definitively allow Bokuto to join his class. He knew this subject was a sore point for Bokuto but, for someone who hoped to study a sports science degree, he needed to score in mathematics for the university entrance exams. Although, it was a bonus that Bokuto finally relieved him of the weight on his shoulder. The same could not be said for his arm.

“I work hard enough on it! I passed my last test!” Bokuto cried plaintively. “I studied until I had nightmares about it. The recent quiz, I was haunted by probability equations all week!” Akaashi wondered if he might just go deaf today, since being subjected to loud sounds everyday for the past two years must have done some damage.

“45 points out of 100 is hardly a pass.”

“It is so according to the system!” Bokuto released Akaashi’s arm and was now waving his hands in Akaashi’s face instead. Akaashi looked at Bokuto, amused.

“If you’re happy with 45 points then.”

“Akaashi!! You should encourage me!”

“Good job on 45 points, Bokuto san.” Akaashi mechanically patted Bokuto on the head twice, flattening his spikes on a whim. “There, there.”

“AGAASHI! Saying that just makes it worse!!!”

Akaashi dodged a tackle, and found himself being chased nearly all the way to school. He laughed, moving deftly aside as Bokuto tried to latch onto his arm again. A few minutes later they arrived at the school, and they could hear other students heading to their own club activities. As they approached the gymnasium, shouts and laughter echoed from within its walls, a sure sign that it was already slightly rowdy with teammates setting up the court for practice. Forgetting that he was chasing Akaashi, Bokuto ran past him and burst through the door.

“Your ace is here!” Bokuto enthusiastically crowed. “Hey hey hey!” He did a star jump on the last ‘hey’ and pumped his fists into the air. “Hey hey hey…” They responded. Nobody but Bokuto could match that level of energy in the morning. Akaashi poked his head in and did a small wave to greet the members, then chided Bokuto for dirtying the gym floor with his outdoor shoes, and pulled him out. Bokuto was still waving vigorously when he was dragged away to the changing room.  

The club room was empty, but the bags and shoes strewn around were signs that they were probably the last to arrive. Akaashi made a mental note to remind them to pack their things neatly. He did not want to deal with missing items and it would be far easier to pack their things into the lockers than search for them later. Putting away his bags in the locker next to Bokuto’s, he started to change out of his clothes into his practice gear.

“You have really nice arms, Akaashi!” Bokuto was staring at him instead of changing. “All that setting must have helped.”

“Uh, thanks?” Akaashi looked quizzically at Bokuto, who seemed mesmerized in squeezing his biceps. “More importantly, aren’t you going to change?” He turned his gaze back to the depths of his bag, retrieving the jersey he was going to wear.

“Huh? Y-yeah.” Bokuto abruptly pulled his hands away. He ducked behind Akaashi’s locker door and opened his locker, shielding his burning face. He glanced to his left again, now a pair of bare legs in sight. Long and lean, flexing as they went into a pair of pants one after the other. Bokuto gulped, unable to tear his eyes away. Then the door closed suddenly and Bokuto hurriedly looked away.

“Bokuto? Why aren’t you changed yet?” Akaashi wasn’t amused. “Come on, practice starts in five minutes.” Akaashi pulled at Bokuto’s shirt, hurrying him.

“Ah-I’m changing, I’m changing.” Bokuto wiggled out of Akaashi’s grip and hurried up. He turned slightly away from Akaashi to hide his face, trying to save some of his dignity.

“Alright, done!” He bulldozed past Akaashi, who grabbed him by the arm. Eyebrow raised, Akaashi wordlessly pointed out that he was wearing his shirt inside out. “Oops.” There was no hiding his red face now; he quickly took off his shirt, turned it the right way, and put it back on. Meanwhile, Akaashi had retrieved their towels and bottles, and was already waiting for him at the door.

Meekly, Bokuto followed behind his vice captain to morning practice.


	2. Bokuto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you think Akaashi is pretty?"

“Bokuto? Bokuto? Are you listening?” A stern face stared down at Bokuto. It was his mathematics teacher, who had the reputation of giving extra homework as punishment. “This chapter will be on the test next week, so you should pay attention!” She frowned at him and chided. “I know you are busy with your competition but you really need to work harder on this subject. Surely you know that you can’t afford to fail if you want to get into sports science!” Then addressing the rest of the class, “not just Bokuto, I know some of you aren’t listening as well. I can’t force you to study but I hope you will think about your future seriously.” She turned her back to Bokuto and went back to the front of the class, continuing her lesson.  

Embarrassed at being called out, Bokuto bowed in apology. He tried to concentrate but his thoughts kept going back to what happened in the morning. When did Akaashi start getting so toned? He was different a year ago. Maybe. Bokuto stared at the whiteboard but he was only half listening to the lesson. He had seen Akaashi naked before: showers during camp, soaking in the hot springs, stripping in the gymnasium after winning a game. Okay, maybe the last one was more of him stripping and Akaashi watching. But he did not remember what Akaashi looked liked before then. All Bokuto could think about was how the shirt slid off _his_ body, the muscles of _his_ arms taut as they moved in one fluid motion to reveal the ivory treasure beneath. How his slender fingers moved deftly to flip and fold and smooth out his shirt- _how would those fingers feel in his hands? On his body?_ _On his-??_

Bokuto stiffened, highly self conscious that his thoughts were running amok, inappropriately, and in class of all places. As discreetly as possible, he sat up closer and straighter, hiding his legs under his desk. He stared down at his incomplete notes on equations as if to find a formula that will solve his current headache. He could hear the lecture and the scratching of notes in the background, but if felt as if they were far away and he was in a bubble of his own. Grabbing a pen and pretending to write notes, Bokuto could not help but notice that his hand was shaking. He had no idea what he had written for the past 30 minutes.  _ Ah crap.  _ He would have to borrow notes again.

The rest of his classes went by in a blur, and school was over for the day. It was practice again. Deep in his thoughts, Bokuto meandered in a daze from the cafeteria to the club room. He could hardly taste how delicious and warm his bowl of chicken curry was. He barely registered his classmates who waved to him as he passed them. Bokuto nearly walked into the door of the club room before realising that it was still closed. Fumbling with the knob, he crashed his shoulder noisily into the door as he walked in to find a few members already there, playing a board game. He returned their greeting without a thought, flung his bag on the floor and slumped against the sofa sighing. 

The other members looked at him curiously but continued their conversation. They were used to Bokuto’s idiosyncrasies after all, and he was probably in one of his moods that would dissipate eventually. 

“Hey, do you guys think Akaashi is pretty?” Bokuto mused, more to himself than others. Akinori choked on his water. “Uh, what do you mean?” The libero nicknamed Komiyan asked carefully. 

“Like, you know, how his skin practically glows and the way he seems to understand you all the time. Except when he’s scolding us, of course.” Bokuto was now flipped upside down, his legs dangling on the back of the chair and head nearly touching the ground. “And there’s also his hands! The way he  _ moves them _ -” He stopped short, unsure of what he wanted to say.

Akinori stopped coughing and was staring at Bokuto, mouth wide open, while Sarukui was shrugging and scratching his head, not knowing how to reply. It sounded like Bokuto has a crush on Akaashi. Komiyan raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with them. Did Bokuto really…? 

“Well, I’m sure it’s because he’s the setter,” Komiyan measured his words, “so he needs to know us well to manage us as a team. He’s also very skilled that’s why he moves his hands-uh, differently.” He filtered out the part about the skin and hoped his reply would be sufficient to pull Bokuto out of this mood, whatever it was. 

A long silence ensued. Nobody else offered comment. 

“Hmm…” Bokuto pondered, closing his eyes and feeling the rush of blood to his head. That sounded right to him, so why did he feel strangely attracted to Akaashi? He must have said that question out loud; he didn’t quite remember, because the door opened then and Akaashi was standing there, and he fell from the sofa in surprise... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be coming right up!


	3. Akaashi

_“Hey, do you guys think Akaashi is pretty?”_ Akaashi’s hands hovered over the doorknob and stopped. That was Bokuto’s voice. What the hell did he mean by pretty? Someone started coughing.

_“Like, you know, how his skin practically glows and the way he seems to understand you all the time. Except when he’s scolding us, of course. And there’s also his hands! The way he moves them-”_

Akaashi frowned. He wanted to hear this. More intrigued than weirded out, he let his hands fall to his sides and waited for whoever was in there to reply. _“Well, I’m sure it’s because he’s the setter.”_ Oh, it was Komiya, Akaashi noted. He surmised that Akinori and Sarukui must also be inside. They were always together after all. 

_“So he needs to know us well to manage us as a team. He’s also very skilled that’s why he moves his hands-uh, differently.”_

He heard Komiya finish his sentence somewhat awkwardly, and wanted to laugh. He waited a while longer, and hearing no replies, he decided to enter and just ignore whatever he heard.

“Hello-” A thud cut him off and he saw Bokuto had fallen unconscious to the ground. “Bokuto!” Akaashi rushed to him, but he did not respond. “Komiya, can you get the nurse?” Komiya nodded and dashed out quickly. Akaashi looked back down at Bokuto, who was groaning and clutching his head. Bokuto tried to get up, but Akaashi held him and told him to sit. Feeling the back of his head, Akaashi found a bump. Bokuto winced as he touched it. “The nurse is here!” Komiya burst through the door with the nurse following behind.

Akaashi was quite shocked, but tried to maintain his composure as he explained what happened. He watched as the nurse assessed Bokuto, checking whether he felt dizzy or unwell. “Alright, no practice for you today. I’ll need you to stay for a while for observation in the infirmary. Are you feeling well enough to walk?” Bokuto nodded, still dazed, and went to the infirmary supported by the nurse.

“That was a pretty hard knock. Do you think he’ll be ok?” Sarukui said worriedly.

“Hope so. Let’s check on him after practice.” Akinori suggested.

At practice, Akaashi reported to the teachers and coach what had happened to Bokuto but his heart was not in practice. He definitely made more mistakes today, but the spikers still obliged him by trying to hit the messy setups. They all heard what happened to Bokuto and knew that he was the most bothered of them. Missing a few easy setups, leaving himself wide open during the friendly matches, his team lost the game by a considerable margin. It wasn’t like him. He had played in official matches when Bokuto had to sit out and they won. Feeling uneasy and ashamed that he could not pull himself together as vice captain, he sighed. Practice was almost over. The least he could do was to help clean up the place and head straight to the infirmary.

Akaashi gathered up the stray balls and brought them to the basket. He hurried, wanting to find out about Bokuto’s condition. On his way to grab more stray balls, he was intercepted by Sarukui. “Hey, what are you still doing here? Just go and see Bokuto already!”

“But-”

“Go on, Akaashi. You can leave this to us.”

“It’s fine, we’ll take care of things here. Is that okay, coach?” Komiya chipped in. Getting permission to leave early, Akaashi was quickly shooed out even by the managers.

“We’ll come by later!”

Without changing out, Akaashi made a beeline for the infirmary.

The nurse looked up when he entered. “Oh, is practice over? Your friend is over there, but he’s fine. It’s a slight concussion and it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. He’s resting back there now.” She gestured to the area closed off by white curtains. “I told him to take it easy for a few days, but I don’t think he will follow my instructions.” She sighed as Akaashi nodded in affirmation. “Well if he gets dizzy or starts feeling unwell, it’s best to get it checked thoroughly at the hospital. He can leave when he’s ready.”

Akaashi lifted the curtains and saw Bokuto asleep. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair in exasperation, sighing. Why must Bokuto worry him so much? Isn’t he the older one, and therefore supposed to be more mature? “You idiot.” Akaashi muttered, poking Bokuto’s cheek. “Wake up, you can go home now.”   

Bokuto stirred; a strange smile settled on his face. “Hmm, can’t eat any more…”

Eyes narrowing, Akaashi shook Bokuto. “Hey, I said wake up.” Obviously Bokuto was fine, if he could be dreaming now. He had worried for nothing. Nothing could ever come to harm someone like him. Shaking Bokuto harder woke him up.

“Uhmm wha-?” Bleary-eyed Bokuto looked up at a familiar face _glaring_ at him. “A-akaashi? What’s wrong?” He remembered hitting his head and then being brought to the infirmary, but did he do something to anger his setter? He sat up, resisting the instinct to hide under the covers to avoid Akaashi’s glare.

“How many times must I tell you to not fool around in the club room?” Akaashi’s voice was dangerously low. “I thought you were injured, but I must be mistaken, For you to be even _dreaming_ of _food_ , you must be really rested, aren’t you? He jabbed Bokuto’s chest for each syllable. “Do-you-have- _any_ -idea-how-worried-you-made-me?”

“S-sorry.” Bokuto said in a small voice. The jab really hurt him.

“You are our captain, so please try and act like one.” Akaashi sighed, trying to calm his anger. It’s just, _why_ doesn’t Bokuto understand how important he is? He came in here worried, but now he was just tired. He didn’t want to deal with Bokuto’s childish behaviour right now.

“Akaashi, I'm sorry I made you worry.” Bokuto said meekly. “There was something I couldn’t figure out and somehow I ended up upside down as i was thinking and then I lost my balance-”

“Oh you lost your balance? Maybe you should think about yourself more and how to sit properly, instead of whether I am pretty or not-” Akaashi burst out and stopped, realising what he just said. “Anyway, the nurse said you can leave. Your things are still in the club room. I’m heading back.” Embarrassed, he turned to leave but Bokuto caught his arm.

“Wait, you heard the entire thing?”  

Akaashi nodded, eyes averted. He didn’t know how to react to that.

“I-I didn’t mean anything by it! I was just joking-”

“ _Oh._ Is that right?” Akaashi turned to glare at Bokuto once more, unsure why he was even irritated at that explanation.

Bokuto gulped. He said the wrong thing again. “Uh…”

Before Bokuto could continue, the curtains had been withdrawn. “Sorry to interrupt but the infirmary is closed for today. You can talk on your way home.” Bokuto abruptly dropped Akaashi’s hand and clambered out of bed. “Oh, one more thing. Be sure to let your family know if you’re going to be home late.” She shut the door on them, leaving them together in awkward silence.

They walked back to the club room, unsure of what to say to each other. Akaashi quietly went to a corner to change out of his clothes while other teammates crowded around Bokuto inquiring after him. They were relieved to hear that he was fine and were joking and slapping him on the back. Lost in his own thoughts, Akaashi didn’t hear his name being mentioned a few times.

“Akaashi was so worried about you during practice! He kept missing his setups-”

“Dropping the ball-”

“Getting distracted-”

“We let him off early since he couldn’t concentrate. Glad to see you’re fine, captain!”

“Alright, be seeing you tomorrow then! We’re leaving first, bye!”

The room became quiet as they left, leaving behind Bokuto and Akaashi. Akaashi was also ready to leave, and made his way to the door. He was still thinking about the afternoon’s events and somewhat mad at Bokuto, so he did not speak until he had to.

“I’m locking up. Are you done?”

“Akaashi, are you angry at me?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end on a cliff hanger, but I had to do it.


	4. A New Beginning

Bokuto looked forlorn. He really didn’t know why Akaashi was so mad at him. Was it because he called him pretty? Bokuto didn’t know that Akaashi would be the type to care about appearances, but right now he was just one confused boy. He was about to continue with his question when Akaashi spoke. 

“Yes.” Akaashi said, almost inaudibly. His expression was unreadable and that made Bokuto more nervous to speak. He hesitated and in that moment Akaashi dropped his bags to the floor with a loud thud and walked swiftly towards him. Bokuto twitched. Akaashi was coming at him fast and he reactively backed away until he was cornered. He hit the lockers with a crash. Akaashi had caught up to him and there was no where else to go. 

“Yes, I am angry at you.” His hands flew up to grip Bokuto by the shoulders but he resisted the urge to shake the boy. Bokuto thought it was best not to ask his question. If he misspoke, it would surely be the end of him now, injury or not. Keeping his mouth shut, Bokuto could only stare back helplessly at Akaashi. “But you don’t know what you did, do you?” Akaashi seethed. He glowered just three inches away from Bokuto, and Bokuto felt very much like a mouse trapped by its predator. 

“Is it because I call you pretty?” Bokuto squeaked timidly. It was now or ever. “B-because I didn’t mean it was a joke, I actually thought you are-” His voice trailed off; he’s said too much now and it was definitely the wrong answer. He squeezed his eyes shut as Akaashi took a deep breath, waiting for the outburst. 

There was silence, but the grip on his shoulders only tightened, so Bokuto knew that Akaashi did not leave. 

He slowly opened his eyes to see that Akaashi had lowered his gaze. “Um, Akaashi?” Bokuto stretched out a hand to cup the boy’s chin, and discovered that Akaashi was crying. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He wiped away the tears but it still came steadily. Bokuto pulled Akaashi into an embrace and felt the pressure from his shoulders lift. He rubbed Akaashi’s back soothingly. “I won’t mention your looks or anything if you hate it so much-” 

“It’s not that, you idiot.” Akaashi finally spoke. “You’re always so reckless! Hitting spikes until your hands bleed! Practicing until you dislocate your shoulder? And just last week? Insisting on running a 10K after a match?” He listed all the times Bokuto overexerted himself and worried him. “And today, you hit your head really hard and I thought-” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, for he feared that it would someday become true. Knowing Bokuto’s personality, it was not hard to project such a terrible reality, because he would always push himself. 

Bokuto finally realised what Akaashi was getting at. He was constantly worried about him, and what did Bokuto do? Go and hit himself on the head. That was the last straw that unleashed the torrent of stress that had been building up over time. 

It was his turn to hold Akaashi by the shoulders and look him in the eye. “I’m really sorry for worrying you all the time, Akaashi,” Bokuto said earnestly. “What happened this afternoon was a careless mistake, and I promise I will never ever do it again.” He brushed away the last tears off his cheek. “I also promise to not overexert myself. Ever. And I will bring us to the Nationals-” 

Akaashi stopped him. A kiss so sudden, yet it did not feel out of place. Bokuto leaned back on the lockers and pulled Akaashi towards him, returning the kiss. His jumbled thoughts from the morning dissipated and he now knew that this was what he wanted to do all along. He loved Akaashi, and Akaashi had known. He had loved him longer and Bokuto was just too blind to see it. Bokuto tightened his grip around Akaashi’s waist and with the other hand, tucked away the stray hairs that hid Akaashi’s eyes. 

“You really are pretty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Thank you for reading till the end and I hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thank you for reading until the end. I love any constructive feedback so feel free to comment! 
> 
> This was a BokuAka fic exchange for Icelette.  
> Also, my very first BokuAka fic.  
> Me when I was writing it: What is fluff. I haven't written in ages. Yikes.


End file.
